AS the nationwide round of measles and polio campaign begins October 26, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) calls on all sectors of the society to work together to ensure that all children are immunized.
“No child should suffer or die from a disease that can be prevented by a vaccine that is available for free. For the upcoming campaign, please take your children to be immunized at vaccination points,” Unicef Philippines Health and Nutrition Chief Malalay Ahmadzai was quoted in a statement on October 23, the commemoration of World Polio Day. “Arm yourself with the right information so that your children can grow up healthy.”
Unicef also highlighted the importance of vaccination to fulfill every child’s fundamental right to health.
Unicef has supported the Department of Health (DOH) through vaccine procurement and delivery, development of immunization guidelines, social mobilization and building the capacity of DOH and local government unit staff nationwide to plan and ensure that no child is missed.
An essential pillar of Unicef’s work with the DOH involves risk communication and community engagement.
As fear of Covid-19 infections and vaccine hesitancy threatens full immunization coverage, Unicef helps to effectively communicate to parents and caregivers why immunization is important for children, and what information is correct and incorrect.
QC ramps up vaccination efforts
In Quezon City, Mayor Josefina G. Belmonte encouraged parents to support and take part in the government’s immunization program to protect their children from various diseases.
Even though there is a pandemic, we will not allow our children to miss vaccination for they belong to the vulnerable sector, Belmonte said in Tagalog. She said the city is ramping up its vaccination efforts amid the pandemic to make sure that children receive their respective immunization shots.
The mayor assured constituents that the Quezon City Health Department (QCHD) follow strict health protocols to curb the risks of Covid-19 transmission when conducting vaccination drives.
“We make sure that our city health workers follow the minimum health protocols and take extra precautions when giving vaccines,” Belmonte explained. We won’t allow our vulnerable sector, as well as our frontliners, to get sick when doing our regular immunization drive, she added in Tagalog.
Their parents and guardians must bring their children to the nearest health center to avail of the free vaccine.
According to Dr. Esperanza Anita Arias, head of the Quezon City Health Department, the city is facing various challenges due to the pandemic.
From January to September 2020, the city has vaccinated 20,705 children which is only 38 percent of the target number of 54,413.
Roll out
Meanwhile, the DOH’s nationwide Measles Rubella-Oral Polio Vaccine Supplemental Immunization (MR-OPV SIA) activity will be rolled out in two phases.
The first phase of the MR-OPV SIA will be conducted from October 26 to November 25 in the following areas: Mindanao; Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR); Ilocos; Cagayan Valley; Mimaropa; and, Bicol.
Phase 2 MR-OPV SIA would be conducted in February next year in the Visayas region, the National Capital Region, Central Luzon and Calabarzon. Children 9 months old to 59 months old will be given the measles-rubella vaccine while those 0-months to 59-months old would be provided with oral polio vaccine.
Health workers are provided with personal protective equipment and trained in infection prevention and control to prevent Covid-19 infections to ensure safety of the health workers, parents and children.
Polio, a deadly viral disease that was once the leading cause of paralysis among children worldwide, reemerged in the Philippines last year.
To date, there are 17 confirmed cases of polio in the country.
As a result of immunization challenges before and during the pandemic, the number of unvaccinated children in the Philippines continues to rise, putting communities at risk of disease outbreaks and child deaths.